This I Believe

When I was a child, I was always thinking about the future; about when I grow up and become an adult that carries her own responsibilities. I was eager to try being away from my family and my friends that I was brought up with. I wanted to join a university that is away from my town in which I lived in. I was always imagining preparing my own breakfast, going to the market to buy my own stuff and even washing my clothes. I always thought I would be happier that way than to share my life with my family.

I turned 18 years old and entered university. I went to a university in Cairo which is far from my town. I lived in a hostel alone with new people and new students that I almost knew nothing about. I became responsible. Yet, the grass was not always greener on the other side. In the beginning, I was happy to be my self-supervisor, to be the only one who controls my life, eventhough I couldn’t balance my academic life with my personal life. It was hard for me to prepare my lunch and at the same time study for the midterm. It was hard to have papers due while I had to wash my clothes. I found it really hard to be 18.

I remembered when I was young just wishing to be an adult. I just wished then if my mother had been with me to help me as she always used to do. I knew the value of being home studying in a warm atmosphere. I woke up to a harsh reality where I alone had to do everything by myself. Just then, I realized the fact that it is not always greener on the other side. I always believed that everything around me is green and flowery but my own spot is the only yellow and dry one.

Now waiting for things to happen is one of the things I hate the most. I now believe that the moment I live is the greenest moment. Thinking much about the future is yellowish and boring. I learned how to live each day and enjoy every moment in it. I learned that the present is always lost if it is spent thinking about the future. Anything that happens today, whether it is good or bad, will never be repeated again. Right now is my green moment.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

As half of the magic act Penn and Teller, Penn Jillette enjoys challenging his audiences with the unconventional. In stating his personal credo, Jillette finds liberation in believing there is no God. Click here to read his essay.